Wrist-watch.



G. H SEARS.

WRIST WATCH.

APPUCATIQH .FILED mns 2. |918.

u 'ya mene Feb. ll, 1919.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

GEORGE H. SEARS, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO WATERBURY CLOCK C0., OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT,

A CORPORATION.

WRIST-WATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE I-I. SERS, a citizen o-f the United States, residing at Vaterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wrist- Watches; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent, in-

Figure l a plan view of a wrist watch embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 an edge view thereof on an enlarged scale, with its front cover and crystal in section.

Fig. 3 an enlarged broken reverse plan view of the front cover of the watch-case.

Fig. l a sectional view thereof on the line 4-1 of Fig. 3.

My invention relates to an improvement in wris't-watches, the object being to produce a cheap and attractive watch constructed with particular reference to dispensing with the use of a separate crystal-protector which is both expensive, bulky and inconvenient.

`Iith these ends in view, my invention consists in a wrist-watch having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown, the watch-case consists of a front cover 5, a center band 6, and a back-cover 7, 'the said center band and back-cover being of any approved construction and having nothing to d0 with my present invention. The front cover 5 has its inner edge turned inward to form a retaining-flange 8 which is snapped over and retained upon an annular shoulder 9 formed upon the front edge of the center band 6 the rear edge of which is formed with a corresponding` annular shoulder (not shown) for the reception and retention of the back-cover 7. The front-cover, as shown, is formed with a concentric central opening 10 surrounded by a regularly spaced group of twelve slightly elongated radially arranged openings 11 through which the hour-hand 12 and the minute-hand 13 are exposed, as well as the numerals 14: upon the dial 15, the inner ends of the hands being exposed through the central opening 10. The said front-cover is struck outward from rear to front on a line close to the outer ends of the openings 11 so as 'to form in the inner face of the cover, a large concentric recess 16 for the reception of a crystal 17 the edge of which extends beyond the outer ends of the said openings 11. By striking up 'the front-cover to form the recess 16, a shoulder 18 is formed upon the outer face of the front-cover which is thus virtually divided by the said shoulder into a slightly raised perforated circular central portion and a rounding annular portion surrounding the same. For securing the crystal 17 in place the inner face of the front-cover is upset at regular intervals around the edge of the recess 16 so as to form a circular series of retaining fingers 19 which overhang the edge of the crystal suiiiciently to firmly hold it in place against that portion of 'the inner face of the front-cover included within the shallow recess 16 and the shoulder 18. The said fingers 19 are swaged by upsetting the metal of the inner face of the annular outer portion of the cover inward from a plurality of points located in a circle just outside of the said shoulder so as 'to form a circular series of independent crystal-retaining fingers extending radially across the said shoulder and inward beyond the same, as shown in Fig. 3, whereby portions of the said shoulder are displaced to form the said fingers. The crystal is thus so firmly forced against 'the inner face of the perforated part ofthe front-cover that dust or other foreign material is prevented from entering lthe watch-case. By my improvement, I avoid the use of crystals coext-ensive or practically co-extensive in size, with the front-cover, and thus save expense; but more than that the smaller the crystals the greater their rigidity and the less liability of their being broken. Preferably I shall employ crystals of some such nonbreakable material as Celluloid.

IV-hile I have spoken of my improved watch as a wrist-watch, it is apparent that my invention may be embodied in watches of any style, though particularly adapted for use in wrist-watches. rlhe character of the perforations formed in 'the front-cover to permit the numerals and hands to be seen, may, of course, be varied in design as desired, the particular form of these openings having nothing to do With my present invention.

I claim:- Y l y Y K As a'neW'art-cle of manufacture,V a one piece Watch-case cover struck -up from a f single piece of sheet-1netal and comprising a circular, apertured central portion and an annular outer portion separated from each other by a concentric shoulder, the said central portion containing a shallow circular recess to receive a crystal inserted into it from the back of the cover and the inner l Jface of the said annular portion being svi/aged inward from a plurality of points Copies vof this patent may be obtained for five cents located in a circle just outside of the said shoulder to setV portions of the same inlwardly to form a'circular series of crystalretaining'nger's extending radially across the said shoulder and inward beyond the saine for holding the crystal in place.

' VIn testimony whereof, I have signed this specication in the presence of twol subscri-hing Witnesses.

Y GEORGE SEARS.

' Witnesses' VC. T. ILLING, y

J. R. PUTNAM.V

eah,'by addressing the Commissioner ofnfaptents,

washington, D. ci" 

